Mystics In Bali

Mysticsin Bali (1981)

Runtime: The version I saw was 81 minutes long

Directed by: H. Tjut Djalil

Starring: Ilona Agate Bastian, Yos Santo, Sofia W.D., W.D. Mochtar and people with names like Dis I Gusti Ngurah Lanang Jugutkarana

From: Pusut Perusahaan Film/Video Tape Corp.

I... I... what can you say about this infamous movie, except that it's easy to see why it became a cult favorite? It's on Amazon Instant Video for free if you have Prime! Really. I explain it all below via my Letterboxd review:

Yes... this infamous horror movie from Indonesia (made with an Australian company and this was somehow supposed to be made with a Western audience in mind; no surprise that when something with such a bizarre plot came out, distributors did not rush to the country for product to export) is actually on Amazon Instant Video, and if you have Prime it is for free, and if not it's only a dollar rental. That version is only 81 minutes long and there apparently is a version a little longer out there... what I saw was enough for me!

It revolves around the Leyak (i.e. Leak), an actual Indonesian mythological figure where at night the head actually does fly around with the spine and entrails still attached, as the movie demonstrates; in addition, they do look for pregnant women so they can have the blood of a baby; telling the world of your unique mythology is one thing... but maybe something not so strange to most people would have been better.... I can't say if in the mythology the evil queen constantly laughs maniacally, as is shown in the film.

Anyhow, this is about an American (or Australian, depending on which subbed/dubbed version you see; the actress is definitely Eastern European between her name and her-ahem-grooming habits) woman who has an Indonesian boyfriend. She has written books on all sorts of black magic and she wishes to research the Leak; despite some obvious warning signs she does this, and as I already explained, that was a horrible mistake. I won't mention all the weird crap throughout as I want people to be as shocked as I was that this was even more demented and crazed than I had expected.

Technically, the movie is pretty bad in terms of such concepts as direction, cinematography and pacing, and ooh boy, those special effects are charmingly primitive. Yet for sheer entertainment value this is great. The movie made me laugh often, that is for sure, as I was surprised often at the lunacy I was seeing. Rating it as average seems like the most appropriate thing to do. However, if you enjoy cult cinema-especially of the strange kind-then this is a must-see.